An easy to work on, reliable, with inexpensive parts available.....sports car?

Say, Jad, where in Canada do you live? If you're out west, I'd say the chances of finding an unrusted muscle car are pretty good. If you're in Ontario or Quebec, or areas east, you'd be hard pressed to find anything over 15 years that isn't all rusted.

That said, maybe consider some 80's large sedans - Caddilacs, Caprices, or maybe a Monte Carlo. Also, you might have some luck looking for a 90's Impala SS. Or, what about an old hearse. I think those would be cool!

Ontario...so yeah, everything here rusts away pretty quick.

The Impala SS is a good suggestion though..those are rear wheel drive right?

The Fox body Mustangs are reliable and simple to service. The 5.0 engine is essentially the same engine as the smaller displacement 289 and the fact the engine has been around for so long says a lot about it's reliability.
The 90s Impala SS is rear wheel drive and a pretty neat car IMHO. Would love to have one myself even if they are a larger 4 door car.

I agree that the old Camaros are reliable and simple to work on but there is one major problem. Price. Everybody in the world wants them and this drives the prices up. Ten years ago the second generation Camaros could be found for a reasonable price and now they're going through the roof. Even the common 3rd generation (82-92) Camaros are on the way up; considerably it seems just in the last few years.

Another problem is that if you find one that needs a lot of trim pieces you will pay dearly. I have a '79 Z-28 project car (runs/drives well, looks slick) but needs the interior restored, one T-top, and T-tops seals. Year One is bordering on obscene in plastic prices (140 each on kick panels, 900 dollars for T-top seals and 2 grand for a pair of T-tops (Hurst version, not the OEM Fisher ones). You can see that this can add up to some serious bucks real quick. I'm still looking for a junker with a good, matching color interior and so far have not found it.
Most of these cars have been thrashed into the ground or converted into dirt track race cars with the interiors having been gutted and tossed. Dxxx it. :-(

Those Mustangs are a lot of fun...a buddy of mine in Detroit has owned a few and "upgraded" them....he took me out once in a heavily modified '89, I don't think I've ever been in a car that accelerated that fast.

Are old Porsche's or Jaguar's easy to work on? Not cheap, I know...

Old Porsche or Jag "easy" to work on? Nope, but you'll get a lot of practice with the Jag . . . and both are pretty expensive when something breaks. What are you really lloking for? Easy to fix? Fun to work on? Cheap? Reliable? Details would help. If this were MY dream sports car . . I'd want it to be beautiful . . . fast, economical, easy to fix, cheap to repair, handles well, safe in an accident, and for me . . a bit weird. I'd build a 911 with a JAP motor, maybe a V-tec with a bottle . . or a small block V-8 kit in the 911 . . . or . . . man do you have me thinking about cleaning out the junk in my other bay in my garage for a new project! Rocketman

So, think about this. Get 2 cars, but get them used. That way you don't spend more money, but you achieve your goal of fun driving in all seasons. Too many people in the wintery parts of North America seek out the ideal 4 season vehicle, and end up with a Subaru, which is fine but not especially likely to get the blood boiling. Get yourself a Miata, maybe up to about 2003 or so should be fairly cheap. Look for one that has been garaged in the winter and driven low miles. They exist all over the place if you are patient. You can buy bolt on supercharger kits if you are so inclined and go like crazy, or just tweak the suspension and learn what fun driving is. Use that car between the end of mud season and first snow, then put it away, take off the insurance, and fiddle with it all winter if you have a warm garage. Your other vehicle might be a simple pickup like a Toyota Tacoma or a Nissan from 6 years ago. They are reliable as can be, not too exciting but really functional and long lasting. A Mustang might be OK too, if it's not been beaten to death, but I suspect it will be a pretty poor snow car. In New England there used to be a type of car we call "Winter Crasher" which was a cheap older American sedan like a Ford or a Buick that you find for sale in a retirement community. It was exactly what it sounds like - a car you beat through bad weather without excess worry if you bounced off a snow bank now and then. In Spring you dry it out, change fluids, repair the big damage and put it away where you stored the Miata.

Too many people in the wintery parts of North America seek out the ideal 4 season vehicle 

Actually MOST people I know who have a sports car for fun driving NEVER drive it during the winter. They get themselves a winter-beater for Nov thru March.

The Nissan/Datsun Z cars are a good mid-line sports car. The have an excellent power-weight ratio for great performance, good lines and looks and the engine and power train are the same as used in the Maxima. Parts are inexpensive and they are not difficult to work on.

Problem with the OLDER Datsun cars is they rusted out. Datsun didn't solve this problem until the mid to late 80's. Anything before that make sure it was never in snow country.

The Porsches and Jags are not that much more difficult to work on than many other cars out there.
Some bigger issues may be that these cars will require a few odd service tools and procedure and many parts, other than basic maintenance/wear and tear items, may be pretty pricy.

A long time friend of mine has 2 Jag XKEs that were purchased with serious engine problems. He converted one to a 6 cyl. Ford and the other to a Chevy 350. The Ford modded Jag had a spun rod bearing and it seems to me a crank kit (reground crank/bearing set? was priced out at around 1200 dollars (part alone) and this was several decades back.
It's not likely any cheaper today. :-(

Mustangs or 3rd generation Camaros are the most common, easiest to service, and used parts can be found on-line generally on the cheap.

Am I the only guy over 30 here(maybe 40 or 50)?
Think MGB.
Cheap to buy, cheap and easy to get parts from Moss, cheap to insure and so mechanically crude that if you can work on a lawnmower, you can work on this.
On the other hand, compared to modern cars they are not safe, fast or anything near reliable but gosh are they fun.

Hey Jad and MG52TD: I have owned two mgb's (64 and 69) Easy to work on, but look for one with overdrive, you'll really appreciate it if you drive any distance in it. Great cars, cheap to fix and fairly reliable. I'm always cruising e-bay looking for another one. Watch out for rust, focus on Texas,AZ, New Mexico cars, if you find one with a hardtop they are warm in the winter also. I currently own an '89 Mustang GT conv, farily easy to work on but I really don't have to work on it very often. It's been amazingly reliable. And with Posi its OK in the winter, although I try to keep it out of the bad weather. (It's my 2nd car) It has 158K miles and I'm just starting to hear a little piston slap on initial start-up. That's the only time I hear it all day. I bought it in Fla 10 years age, it was my daily driver for 4 years, I put 33K on it. With the Auto OD trans it cruises 70 mph at about 1750 RPM. I really like it and I always was a Chevy guy. I paid $3500. for it in 1998. It's got great acceleration for a stock 5.0, EFI is really nice. The Fox body Mustangs are amazing on the dragstrip. Check out some of the NHRA shows on ESPN, you be amazed at the quarter mile times. And with good tires and gas shocks they handle pretty well. Hope this helps. Steve

Look at the 1998-2002 Camaros, Firebirds, and Trans Ams. I'm talking about the V8 models, the V6's are a joke.(they are reliable, but nobody brags about their V6 muscle car) You can get a really nice one for less than 15k.

They are extremely reliable(I've had my Z28 from 30k to 111k with no major problems). The LS1 V8 makes 320+hp stock, and they handle pretty well too. There is a virtually unilimted aftermarket with this car, and people both drag race and road race with these cars. Parts are pretty cheap and plentiful as well. They can be a pain to work on though, since the motor sits halfway under the windshield.

And you have the choice of an auto or 6 speed manual trans. Check out the excellent automatic, its almost as quick as the manual(or faster if you can't powershift). Even the gas mileage is decent, you can get 20mpg in town, up to 28mpg on the highway if you have the manual.

EDIT: There are the typical sports car cavets though. 275/40/R17 tires are $800 a set, its a pain to get in and out of, insurance is rediculus, can't drive it in snow, tiny back seat, etc.

I find it hard to believe that the 1998-2002 Camaros and Firebirds were reliable at all. Everything I have read about this car, whether it was in Consumer Reports, Car and Driver, or Edmunds, indicated to me that this was such an unreliable car that GM discontinued it in 2002. I am a fan of the second and third generations of this car. However, I don't care for the first and fourth generations (1993-2002). The fourth generation wasn't reliable enough to be considered a modern car in my opinion. Looking at the fifth generation Camaro, which is due to hit the market soon, I am not that impressed (see the picture below). Where are the sexy curves? This car looks like a straight-racing brute, not a slick car that is fun to push through curves. I guess they are getting back to the car's roots, like it was in the first generation. Oh well!

Bravo, sir, bravo! My first experience in mechanical masochism was a '73 MG Midget, Blaze Orange, bought new for just at $2K. Managed to actually satisfy my early 20's libido in that car (yes, IN that car!) many times! Even with my 6'3" frame. Went on to a used 1969 MGB-GT, used 68 MGB-GT, then finally a new '80 MGB. Last of the breed, alas. I learned how engines work on those cars, and, as you pointed out, if you can work on a lawnmower you can work on an MG. Even the late model ones.

My daughter owns the '80 MGB now, as a project car. (Her boyfriend is a mechanic.)

Car and Driver and Road and Track both said it was difficult to define a sports car, but they came to the conclusion that it had two seats and was fun to drive.

Any car that forces you to spend more time looking under the hood than looking through the windshield has to be fun to drive, or you wouldn't put up with it. And, for their time, the MGs were definitely fun to drive!

(Present car is a VW Passat. Goes like the hammers of Hell, comfortable, and corners like it's on rails. The 1.8 liter engine is smaller than the engine in my MGB, but cranks out 170 HP (listed) 190 HP actual with the turbo. VW reportedly had to downgrade the HP listing in the 1.8 Liter turbo because it wouldn't look good for the 4 cyl to have the same horsepower as the 6!)

The 3.8 (Buick engined)Camaros/Firebirds are not considered muscle cars but they're nothing to sneeze at. The 3.8 is rated at 200 HP stock and with a few mods they can look like this:
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Some of those cars are running mid 13s N/A with no bottle.
There is also a car called a Buick Grand National using the 3.8 that has been known to shut a lot of V-8s down in a heartbeat. The drawback to the GN is the high degree of desireability which runs the prices through the roof. There's a local guy here with one who drives his to the track and runs mid-upper 10s with it.

If you really want a beast, find a Mazda Miata with a bad engine and drop in a fuel injected 5.0 Ford. That has been done before.

LOL, if you haven't noticed by now, you are definitely in the wrong forum to ask about sports cars (hondas, jeeps, camaros; what about a buick?). At least no-one has recommended a mini-van yet.

Haha Craig, well, I don't really have the money for a true sports car anyway, I was more looking for a "sports coupe" I guess.

I'm leaning towards an early 80's Jaguar XJS...if I can get a deal on an Arizona/Texas car with a blown V12, I think it'd be great to put a 350 V8 in there...seems like a lot of people have done that and there are kits made specifically for this?
To me this would be a fun car to drive, it would have a torque-y V8, great looks (my opinion), and not something you see a lot of anymore.

I concur. Honda's, Toyota's Nissans are GREAT RELIABLE cars. Love them..drive them. But if I wanted a true sports car...they are NOT on my list. NOT EVEN CLOSE. My plan is to retire before I'm 60....YEA RIGHT....But if I do; and I'm still healthy..I want to buy a 60's muscle car and completely refurbish it. Maybe even update it with modern components. NOW THAT'S A SPORTS CAR.

OK, I'll bite. Why isn't a Camaro a sport car? Please explain.